Loving Torment
by DA

A slender woman sits by the window looking over her shoulder watching the rain beat against the pane. As the drops fall, a single tear falls from her cheek. She moves her eyes slowly down towards her body; the first thing she sees are the bruises and cuts on her arms and legs, a bandage on her knee. She slowly and softly moves her hand and instead of feeling skin, there is a bandage tight against her ribs.

The tired soul turns to the window looking up at the sky which hung like a gray curtain, no sun in sight. As she glanced at the glass, she caught her reflection; a face swollen and cut with black and blue marks. It barely resembled her face. She hangs her head in her hands, wondering how to get her strength, to face her children and family. 

Background Information

Talk about abuse. How a woman can stay in an abusive relationship. What could drive her to finally leave. Finally talk about how some stories are written without a clearly stated purpose and how sometimes you must make an educated "guess" about the true meaning of the story.

Questions

1. Where do you think the woman is?

2. What is she watching?

3. What is wrong with her body?

4. What is a bandage?

5. Where are your ribs?

6. Why do you think the soul is tired?

7. Use the word reflection in a sentence.

8. What in the story, "hung like a grey curtain"?

9. What do you think happened to the woman?

10. How do you think the woman will get the strength to face her children and family?